What I Have To Do
by jazzmonkey
Summary: Their friendship could never be broken. "You made a huge sacrifice by letting her go," "You're pushing this way too far Robs. Nightwing may be a superhero, but Dick Grayson is still human." But, this, it came way too close.


**I don't own YJ.**

**What I Have To Do**

Wally looked at Dick with a full hard gaze, as if searching.

Dick knew that sign. It meant he had to take his mask off. He had to stop being Nightwing. It had never worked before, why would it start fooling Wally now?

He sighed, peeling the warm domino mask off, "I know Wally. I know that I'm taking a big risk here. I know that I may be wrong, that Kaldur may be betraying us, and that I may have just given up one of my best friends to an enemy. But, I have to, if we have any chance of stopping this invasion."

The redhead let out a deep breath as well, "Dick-"

"Just hear me out Wals. I know that this entire thing could fall apart, and that you made a huge sacrifice by letting her go, but…" His blue eyes expressed that he felt utterly helpless, desperately trying to find a control from this devil he had created for himself.

"I was worried," the ex-superhero stated blatantly. "The truth is, it's not just Artemis I'm worried about, it's also the fact that you're pushing this way too far Dick. Just because you've stayed on this team the longest doesn't mean you put all the pressure on yourself. Nightwing may be a superhero, but Dick Grayson is still human."

"I'm aware of that Wally."

"I don't think you get it Dick. I am scared, terrified of what Artemis is doing and that she might not be coming home, but I'm just as equally worried that my best friend is becoming like his mentor."

Dick gave his friend a grim smirk. Years ago, becoming Batman was like becoming the god of silence and the shadows. Now, they both understood that it meant keeping a lid on everything that didn't pertain to the team in some way. You had to separate the two lives. They could never come in contact with each other, or you dropped one to completely fulfill the other.

Dick collapsed into the chair, not caring that his mug was now cold. He ran his fingers through his black hair, "I hate this."

"I know what you mean. Lying to them, pretending that Artemis is dead, that Kaldur is evil. Man, the list just goes on and on doesn't it?"

He shook his head, "That's not what I meant. Well, yeah, that's a part of it, but I hate how deep cover this is. What if you're right, and Kaldur is actually becoming evil? What if he is a triple agent? What do we do then?" he looked to the older for comfort.

They had been this way forever. Wally knew that Dick still felt insecure after a good eight years of leading the team, but Nightwing's façade didn't allow for those feelings. He had to do what was best for the team and the world. Emotions weren't part of the deal.

Wally put his hand of Nightwing's shoulder, "Then you'll figure something out. You always do."

There was silence for several moments as they both contemplated what had just occurred. Wally looked at his friend. He could see the jagged scratches from flying debris on his skin and the light burns around his neck. It was covered by concealer, something the redhead decided not to comment on, but he could tell. He could always tell.

It was hard to believe so much had changed in such a short amount of time. Suddenly, his friend, the prankster, acrobat, hacker, ninja freak, was the leader of Young Justice. He had left with Artemis. When had it come to this?

While he couldn't forgive Dick for taking away his love, and he would personally murder Kaldur if anything happened to her, he was ready to help. If it brought home Artemis, and it could bring back his best friend, he was willing.

Then Dick cracked a smile, "So, when did you get so emotional?"

"Oh, shut up DICK."

"You're so immature. It's my name, let it go."

Wally slapped his friend's back, both to just irritate him and to test how injured he was. "Ow! Man, since when did you become the Man of Steel?"

"Since I outgrew you seven years ago," Dick answered, picking his mask off the table.

Wally pushed his friend towards the personal rooms, "Go get changed. We're going out to eat."

"Am I paying?" Dick asked dryly, his voice coming through the closed door.

As Dick came out, dressed in jeans and his leather jacket, Wally only grinned. "Definitely."


End file.
